Free Creative Writing Prompts #72: Shopping

Enjoy these free creative writing prompts about shopping! My first memories of shopping consist of a desire to get out of the mall as quickly as possible while my mother insisted I try on as many pairs of pants as possible. My desire to shop as a child changed depending on what we were trying to get and my excitement ranged from Bar Mitzvah suit to video game system. As an adult, shopping changes a lot, especially depending on how much money you make and how much debt you're willing to accrue. Shopping can be a necessity, an addiction and for some, a livelihood.

Free Creative Writing Prompts: Shopping

1. You have been given an unlimited Visa credit card as part of a promotion, enabling you to purchase everything and anything you want from your favorite mall. The catch is that you only have three hours and it all needs to fit into your car. What is your purchasing strategy, what do you buy and what's the grand purchase total of everything you get?

2. While some are brave enough to go to the store on Christmas Eve and Black Friday, others are content to wait until the quieter, more gentle shopping times. Imagine that you have been required to wait in line and find a precious item during one of these wild shopping events. What must you do to successful get what you came for?

3. During very material-based holidays like Christmas and birthdays, there are many people who can't afford to get the gifts they want. Create a story in which you and your family set out on a quest to provide the presents that a deserving family should receive during such a holiday. What do you do and what makes this family particularly deserving?

4. Do you fit the typical gender stereotype of a guy who hates shopping and a gal who wants nothing more than to max out a credit card and why or why not? How do you think those stereotypes came about and how much water do those theories hold with your friends and relatives? How high does shopping list out of your top 100 things to do and why?

5. While shopping typically refers to smaller purchases like groceries and batteries, some shopping such as car shopping, engagement ring shopping and house shopping can lead to a major dent in the wallet. Write a story about a real or made up shopping experience with one of those big life choices and how successful you were with your purchase. How did you come up with the money and was it well spent?

6. Shopping with your parents when you're a kid is a much different experience from when you're first out shopping on your own. What are some of the lessons you learned from your first few solo shopping trips? Did these shortcomings make you appreciate more what your parents had to do when they lugged you around for clothes, food and accessories? Why or why not?

7. Have you ever had to go into a less than reputable store to purchase an item? What was the most run-down, frightening shopping experience you've ever engaged in and what happened that made it stick out so much in your mind?

8. Imagine that you have loaded up your cart full of items, only to have all of your cards declined at the checkout counter. Not only that, but the cards have come up stolen and now you're sitting back in the security office trying to explain yourself! What happens next in this case of shopping mistaken identity?

9. Have you ever accidentally purchased a major lemon when it came to a car, electronics or another used shopping experience? How did you go about dealing with this piece of junk and were you ever able to get your money back? Were you tempted to legally get back at the person selling it? Why or why not?

10. Now that so much shopping occurs online, the shopping experience has been changed forever! What are some of the positive and negative aspects of this online shift? Do you enjoy online or in person shopping better? Is it worth the danger of the easiest impulse buying ever created?

Bryan Cohen is the author of more than 30 books, many of which focus on creative writing and blasting through that pesky writer's block. His books have sold more than 20,000 copies. You can find him on Google+ and Facebook.

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